Comments on: How Long Did That Take You?

By: Bruce DeBoer

Bruce DeBoer — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:50:02 +0000

Ha – I have the reverse experience too, I just didn’t write about it:)

By: John R

John R — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:21:22 +0000

I think you’re totally right. Time has a huge impact on creativity. In fact, I’m procrastinating right now… Must-get-back-to-work.

PS. Normally I have the reverse experience with cameras. I see something inspiring and all I have is my iPhone, which completely fails to capture the magic of the moment.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:44:09 +0000

I agree that what is experienced as a moment or “flash” of inspiration and creativity is really the fruit of everything that came before it. But I disagree with your assessment of the photos! When I viewed them enlarged, I was struck immediately by the b&w, which to my eye is far superior, both technically and emotionally. (And I looked at the pictures and had that reaction before reading what you took them with, and that you consider the results equal.)

By: Carol Nix

Carol Nix — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:53:02 +0000

Thanks for this, Bruce!

I’ll add that my clients would not want to pay my hourly “shower, driving, sleep walking, yoga, or cycling” rate! Time is the only “tangible” thing that many clients can grasp when it comes to creative services. With as much experience as we have, we work faster, we see in a different way. That’s the difference — and it’s simply not captured in time, but in true market value for the work, period. Has anyone ever asked Frank Gehry how many hours he spent designing a building?

PS. For the record, I’ve never had someone ask me how much time it took me to complete a painting.

By: Bruce DeBoer

Bruce DeBoer — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:43:45 +0000

Thanks Adriana – I think the billable rate for the seconds should be billed in years – but then I haven’t had that much luck billing for the years it took me to create in those seconds of which you speak.

By: Adriana DiFranco

Adriana DiFranco — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:24:21 +0000

Great post! This also brings to mind the Malcolm Gladwell concept of “the prepared mind” which he explores in Outliers. It may often happen that I solve a creative problem in the shower or while I sleep at night or while I’m doing something super mundane. But I couldn’t have had that Eureka moment without putting the time in to read about the problem, get research, strategize, discuss, brainstorm, look at competitors, and also daydream, visit a museum, listen to music etcetera.

Sometimes, the actual concept does come in 3 seconds. But I don’t have a billable rate for seconds.

This is why progressive ad agencies and creative shops truly do believe in sending creatives off to museums or surfing or what have you. You have to work at a problem directly as well as indirectly to get at an original vision and solution.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:08:49 +0000

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